Indri Rooslamiati, Head of the National Centre for Biomedical and Health Genomics, Indonesia

1. How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive? 

By benchmarking technologies against those used in other countries, we can adopt successful experiences and adapt them to our own needs and context. We also conduct cost-effectiveness studies to ensure that any new technology or policy is better or more effective than existing solutions, while meeting quality standards. 

We must also ensure that services are easy for everyone to access (accessible), targeted at all those who need them (equity), and that principle of fairness is upheld. 

2. What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

We have developed precision medicine–based services in hospitals by adopting genomic technologies. The aim is to break the diagnostic odyssey – a situation in which patients spend months or even years seeking diagnostic certainty without clear answers.

Through genetic testing, patients are finally able to understand the condition they are suffering from, enabling doctors to determine more appropriate treatment more quickly, and potentially reducing side effects caused by unsuitable therapies. 

3. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?  

I am currently responsible for two national priority programmes under the Ministry of Health: The National Genomics Programme, also known as the Biomedical Genome Science Initiative (BGSI), and the Indonesia Clinical Research Centre (INA-CRC).

BGSI aims to establish a national genomic database and deliver more accurate and precise genomics-based services to the public. With BGSI, hospitals under the Ministry of Health now provide services using more precise genomic technologies, enabling patients to receive accurate treatment and reduce side effects. 

For example, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) has developed a diabetes detection panel based on data from the Indonesian population. In addition, patients with rare diseases can now receive accurate diagnoses using genomic technology. 

Previously, many patients received different diagnoses and medications without clarity about their actual condition. With genomic technology, they can now obtain definitive diagnoses and appropriate treatments. We have also built digital infrastructure in 10 hospitals to support patient recruitment. 

INA-CRC serves as the national facilitator for research and clinical trials, strengthening human resource capacity and hospital infrastructure, while expanding national and international networks and collaborations. 

Through INA-CRC, we have enhanced hospitals’ capacity across Indonesia to conduct clinical trials. As a result, several hospitals are now ready to carry out trials and have secured projects from pharmaceutical companies and donor institutions. 

4. What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people?  

Trust and communication are the keys to success. 

5. We hear a lot about AI. What’s a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

We must be adaptive and open to innovation and new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a double-edged sword: it can deliver significant benefits but also carries risks if not implemented properly. 

Therefore, innovation must continue to be supported, and development processes should move quickly so that public services can benefit. However, quality must remain a core principle, and every technology must comply with applicable regulations to ensure safe and standards-compliant use. 

For example, the use of AI in interpreting chest X-rays and brain CT scans must first be validated using data from the Indonesian population. One of the responsibilities of the National Centre for Biomedical and Health Genomics, which I currently lead, is to conduct AI validation studies before marketing approval is granted. 

The purpose of using AI is to support doctors in interpreting chest X-ray and CT scan results. We compare AI-generated readings with those of radiologists to assess accuracy, consistency, and limitations. Through this approach, the government can ensure that adopted technologies are not only fast and innovative, but also high-quality, safe, and compliant with regulations before being widely deployed to serve the public. 

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6. How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?  

To prepare for change, I always begin with an open mindset, accepting change as a necessity. One slogan I always hold onto is, “The only constant is change.” This principle guides my work: we must be ready to face new dynamics with an open mindset and the belief that nothing is impossible. 

With this way of thinking, every challenge can be transformed into an opportunity, and every change can be managed as progress. 

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

First, understand public needs. Innovation in the public sector will only succeed if it addresses real problems experienced by the community. Engage actively, listen to concerns, observe service processes, and understand the on-the-ground context. Do not create innovation solely to satisfy personal ambitions or the interests of specific parties.

Focus on tangible impact and benefits. Good innovation is not the most sophisticated, but the most relevant, user-friendly, and impactful for the people it serves. 

8. Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?  

Communities and patients, especially those in areas with limited access to services or those experiencing a diagnostic odyssey. From them, I have learned that public services must be simple, accessible, and truly responsive to real needs.

9. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

As my field is R&D and the development of new technologies, my dream is for genetic testing for diagnosis and treatment selection to be covered by insurance or the national social security system.

This would ensure that Indonesians receive healthcare and medicines tailored to their individual genetic profiles, reducing side effects and shortening the diagnostic journey, in line with the principles of accessibility, equity, and fairness. 

10. Outside tech, what excites you the most? 

Networking and building partnerships, because many things cannot be achieved alone. Strong networks accelerate cross-agency collaboration, open access to expertise and resources, expand service reach, and ensure that innovations and policies are more relevant because they are developed collaboratively with stakeholders.

Effective networks also enable faster coordination, reduce miscommunication, and help ensure that programmes are implemented consistently and sustainably.